LIBERATION FESTIVAL PILSEN – 80th Anniversary
The biggest and the most significant event of this year’s spring is coming! The well known and very popular Liberation Festival in Pilsen is just about to start in couple of days and this time it’s going to be huge! Because we are celebrating the 80th anniversary of war’s end. The festival is going to be held in May, 2nd – 6th. The whole programme can be found here.
Pilsen has prepared cultural programme on four different stages in the city centre:
- Stage náměstí Republiky
- Folk&Country Stage, Amfiteátr Plaza
- 40’s stage, Proluka
- Libé Rty Stage. Kopeckého Sady
STAGE NÁMĚSTÍ REPUBLIKY
Stage náměstí Republiky is the main stage of the festival. Here the whole festival will be opened on Friday, May 2nd. Famous artists will held their performances, parachutists will land here and an American student marching band will present themselve.
LIBÉ RTY STAGE
Libé Rty Stage will be situated in Kopeckého Sady. This stage will aim for celebrating freedom in all different ways and remembering us the value of freedom. The organizators are promising the visitors to experience the freedom in many ways and offering various concerts.
FOLK&COUNTRY STAGE
This stage is located behind the shopping centre Plaza. The best bands of Pilsen and Pilsner region will perform here.
Other musical performances will take place in the courtyard of DEPO 2015 and on the Radbuza embankment.
40’S STAGE
40’s stage will be able to be found in Proluka near the main square. This stage should take visitors to the summer of 1945. It will offer melodies of jazz, swing and folkore, dance evening, lindy hop workshop and fashion show.
COMMEMORATIVE ACTS IN THE REGION
In the whole region there will take place commemorative acts from the 17th of April till the 8th of May. You can visit them in Františkovy Lázně, Dolní Lukavice, Kdyně, Tachov, Dobřany, Dýšina and in many more cities.
HISTORICAL MILITARY CAMPS
Many enthustiatic people will come to Pilsen, bring their period uniforms or costumes, take part in the celebrations and present the period military camps. The military camps as well as the historical machinery will be arranged in the parks around náměstí Republiky.
CONVOY OF LIBERTY
The convoy of liberty is one of the highlights of the festival. Many people from Pilsen and from the surrounding are coming to Pilsen to see and enjoy the convoy of liberty. The convoy is taking place usually on Sunday’s morning. This year it starts on Sunday, May 4th at 11:00 in Sukova street and the vehicles go down through the Klatovska street, Sady Pětatřicátníků, Tyršova Street and Rooseveltova Street to náměstí Republiky.
In the past years the veterans were coming to Pilsen and going with the vehicles in the convoy. The time is unfortunately mercilles and many of the veterans passed away. This year American war veteran Harry Humason will arrive. It’s going to be his first visit after the war ended. He hasn’t been in Pilsen or in Europe since the war ended.
The American liberators are not the only ones who liberated Pilsen. The Belgian troop helped the American army. As this year’s anniversary is significant and the celebrations going to be extraordinary the Belgian king Filip will arrive to Pilsen and attend the festival.
More upcoming events can be found in our previous cultural overview for Pilsen 2025.
Sources: Město Plzeň, Slavnosti svobody
Image source: Slavnosti svobody
